Tex Ritter

Show Count: 1Series Count: 1Role: Old Time Radio StarBorn: January 12, 1905Old Time Radio, Murvaul, Panola County Texas, USADied: January 2, 1974, Nashville, Tennessee

Woodward Maurice Ritter(January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974), better known asTex Ritter, was an Americancountry musicsinger and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting (sonJohnand grandsonJason). He is a member of theCountry Music Hall of Fame.

Early life

Ritter was born inMurvaul,Texas, the son of Martha Elizabeth (née Matthews) andGerman AmericanJames Everett Ritter. He grew up on his family's farm inPanola Countyand attended grade school inCarthage. He attended South Park High School inBeaumont, Texas. After graduating with honors, he entered theUniversity of Texas at Austin; he studied pre-law and majored in government, political science, and economics.

Career

Radio and Broadway

An early pioneer of country music, Ritter soon became interested in show business. In 1928, he sang onKPRC-AMinHouston, a 30-minute program of mostly cowboy songs. That same year, he moved toNew York Cityand landed a job in the men's chorus of theBroadwayshow,The New Moon(1928). He appeared as cowboy Cord Elam in the Broadway productionGreen Grow the Lilacs(1931), the basis for the musicalOklahoma!. He also played the part of Sagebrush Charlie inThe Round Up(1932) andMother Lode(1934).

In 1932, he starred in New York City's first broadcast Western,The Lone Star RangersonWOR-AM, where he sang and told tales of theOld West. Ritter wrote and starred inCowboy Tom's RounduponWINS-AMin 1933, a daily children's cowboy program aired over two otherEast Coaststations for three years. He also performed on the radio showWHNBarndanceand sang onNBC Radioshows; and appeared in several radio dramas, includingCBS'sBobby Benson's Adventures.

Ritter was also cast in guest-starring role on thesyndicatedtelevision series,Death Valley Days, and theABCwestern series,The Rebel, starringNick Adamsas a wandering formerConfederate.

Ritter began recording for American Record Company (Columbia Records) in 1933. His first release was "Goodbye Ole Paint". He also recorded "Rye Whiskey" for the label. In 1935, he signed withDecca Records, where he recorded his first original recordings, "Sam Hall" and "Get Along Little Dogie". He recorded 29 songs for Decca, the last in 1939 in Los Angeles as part of Tex Ritter and His Texans.

Movies

In 1936, Ritter moved to Los Angeles. His motion picture debut was inSong Of The Gringo(1936) forGrand National Pictures. He starred in twelveB-movieWesternsfor Grand National, includingHeadin' For The Rio Grande(1936), andTrouble In Texas(1937) co-starringRita Hayworth(then known as Rita Cansino).

After starring inUtah Trail(1938), Ritter left financially troubled Grand National. Between 1938 and 1945, he starred in around forty "singing cowboy" movies. He made four movies with actressDorothy FayatMonogram Pictures:Song of the Buckaroo(1938),Sundown on the Prairie(1939),Rollin' Westward(1939) andRainbow Over the Range(1940).

Ritter then moved toUniversal Picturesand teamed withJohnny Mack Brownfor films such asThe Lone Star Trail(1943),Raiders of San Joaquin(1943),Cheyenne Roundup(1943) andThe Old Chisholm Trail(1942). He was also the star of the filmsArizona Trail(1943),Marshal of Gunsmoke(1944) andOklahoma Raiders(1944).

When Universal developed financial difficulties, Ritter moved toProducers Releasing Corporationas "Texas Ranger Tex Haines" for eight features between 1944 and 1945. Ritter did not return to acting until 1950, playing mostly supporting roles or himself.

Recording

Ritter's recording career was his most successful period. He was the first artist signed with the newly formedCapitol Recordsas well as its first Western singer. His first recording session was on June 11, 1942.

In 1944, he scored a hit with "I'm Wastin' My Tears on You", which hit No. 1 on the country chart and eleven on the pop chart. "There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder" was a country chart No. 2 and pop chart No. 21. In 1945, he had the No. 1, 2, and 3 songs onBillboard'sMost Played Jukebox Folk Records poll, a first in the industry. Between 1945 and 1946, he registered seven consecutive top five hits, including "You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often" (No. 1) written byJenny Lou Carson, which spent eleven weeks on the charts. In 1948, "Rye Whiskey" and his cover of "The Deck of Cards" both made the top ten and "Pecos Bill" reached No. 15. In 1950, "Daddy's Last Letter (Private First Class John H. McCormick)" also became a hit.

Ritter first toured Europe in 1952, where his appearances included a starring role in theTexas Western Spectacleat London'sHarringay Arena. Thatsame year, Ritter recorded the movie title-track song "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin')", which became a hit. At the first televisedAcademy Awardsceremony in 1953, he sang "High Noon", which received an Oscar forBest Songthat year.

In 1953, he began performing onTown Hall Partyon radio and television in Los Angeles. In 1957 he co-hostedRanch Party, a syndicated version of the show. He made his national TV debut in 1955 on ABC-TV'sOzark Jubileeand was one of five rotating hosts for its 1961 NBC-TV spin-off,Five Star Jubilee.

He formed Vidor Publications, Inc., a music publishing firm, withJohnny Bond, in 1955. "Remember the Alamo" was the first song in the catalog. In 1957, he released his first album,Songs From the Western Screen. He was often featured in archival footage on the children's television program,The Gabby Hayes Show.

In 1961, he hit the charts with "I Dreamed Of A Hill-Billy Heaven," which had actually been released six years earlier byEddie Dean.

Later work

Even after the peak of his performing career, Ritter was recognized for his contributions to country music and artistic versatility. He became one of the founding members of theCountry Music AssociationinNashville, Tennesseeand spearheaded the effort to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1964, he became the fifth inductee and first singing cowboy to be honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame.

He moved to Nashville in 1965 and began working forWSMRadio and theGrand Ole Opry, earning a lifetime membership in the latter. His family remained in California temporarily so that son John could finish high school there. For a time, Dorothy was an official greeter at the Opry. During this period, Ritter co-hosted a late night radio program with country disc jockeyRalph Emery. His 1967 single "Just Beyond The Moon" with lyrics byJeremy Slatehit No. 3 on the country chart.

Senate campaign

In 1970, Ritter surprised many people by entering Tennessee'sRepublicanprimary electionforUnited States Senate. Despite high name recognition, he lost overwhelmingly toUnited States RepresentativeBill Brock, who then defeated the incumbent SenatorAlbert Gore, Sr.in thegeneral election.

Personal life

Ritter was married to actressDorothy Fayon June 14, 1941, until his death. The couple had two sons, Thomas Ritter and actorJohn Ritter(father ofJasonwho was born in 1980). Tex helped startUnited Cerebral Palsyafter Thomas was found to have the affliction. Ritter and his sons spent a great deal of time raising money and public awareness to help others with the illness.

Death

Ritter's grave marker inPort NechesinJefferson County,Texas

Ritter had his last recording session for Capitol Records in 1973. In 1974, he had a heart attack and died in Nashville, ten days before his 69th birthday.

His last hit record was a cover of Gordon Sinclair's famous editorial "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)". It reached No. 35 on the country chart shortly after his death. He is interred at Oak Bluff Memorial Park inPort NechesinJefferson County, Texas. Son John is interred atForest Lawn Memorial ParkinHollywood Hills, California.